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A woman alleged that her husband, who is a recovering alcoholic, was accidentally served an alcoholic beverage when they went out to eat at Olive Garden.
"I was so mad!" read the caption on TikTok user jaredhmelende's video that has been viewed 4 million times.
Some commenters were not sympathetic.
"They say on the menu that they have alcohol," a commenter wrote. "Reading comprehension isn't your thing huh?"
Other commenters who claimed to work as servers at Olive Garden said it is listed as a "Spiked Strawberry Lemonade" on the menu. There is, however, a raspberry lemonade offered as a non-alcoholic option.
Another said it wasn't the responsibility of the server to know jaredhmelende's husband is in recovery and they should have known the drink was alcoholic based on the smell.
In a series of follow-up videos, the TikToker explained that her husband ordered a strawberry lemonade, but she did not look at the menu herself. She said her husband frequently orders a strawberry lemonade at other restaurants.
When the drinks were delivered to the table, jaredhmelende tasted the drink and said she couldn't taste the alcohol, but her husband said something tasted off.
Her husband asked the server if the drink had alcohol in it and explained he could not drink. The server was nervous, but the TikToker said she does not believe her husband would relapse because when he does binge on alcohol, he drinks beer, not liquor.
"My husband is the type of alcoholic that once he touches one beer, he can't stop," she said. "So, he can be clean for six months, and if he does one beer, it has to be beer, he cannot stop. He'll go on for days."
Although jaredhmelende said they did not cause a problem at the restaurant, having the drink was a "big deal" because the couple agreed they would both no longer drink alcohol.
Although some commenters said the blame lay with the couple, others were more sympathetic.
Some said the server should have asked for an ID to indicate that what he was ordering contained alcohol.
"Not your fault at all! Don't beat yourself up over it," another viewer wrote. "He's staying strong."
Other viewers with personal experience with recovery also offered their support.
"These ppl in these comments have obviously never dealt with an alcoholic family member and it shows," a comment read.
"As a grateful recovering alcoholic she is 10000 percent right," one TikToker wrote. "Once we get that taste it's all over. It's a disease."
Some blogs published personal accounts of living in recovery but accidentally drinking an alcoholic beverage. One such post, written by Mollie Talbot with The Temper, described an incident in which she was served a drink, despite asking for a mocktail.
She wrote that had some takeaways from the experience and said the is some responsibility that must be taken on both sides.
In addition to restaurants having a separate and dedicated drink menu for non-alcoholic drinks, Talbot said it's the responsibility of the diner to verify they received a non-alcoholic drink.
However, accidentally drinking alcohol doesn't necessarily mean someone in recovery will "slip up."
"Even if your sensations seem to betray your resolve and the drink feels good, you get to dialogue with that body in a non-shaming and positive way," the piece reads.
Newsweek reached out to Olive Garden and jaredhmelende.
About the writer
Catherine Ferris is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting for the U.S. Trends Team. She ... Read more